In recent years, owing to the development of social networking services (SNS) that utilize the Internet, more people enjoy communication with their friends or people who have common interests or the like.
Various technologies related to such circumstances are known (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a social networking system having a server and user devices which are connectable to each other via a network, where the system provides communication services among users for which a friend relationship or a close-friend relationship has been set.
More specifically, the server stores (i) multimedia data for each user in a storage area which is provided for said each user who utilizes a user device and (ii) relationship information indicating that a close-friend relationship has been set among specific users within a predetermined number of people, which is defined for personal use.
Each user device issues a request to access the multimedia data stored in the server. When the access request is sent from the user device, the server permits the user device to access (i) the multimedia data stored in the storage area of the user who uses the user device and (ii) the multimedia data stored in the storage area of each user, where the close-friend relationship has been set between this user and the user of the current user device.
Thus, according to the above social networking system, it is possible to legally share media files for personal use.
In addition, there is a technique to disclose data only to members that have been registered.
Various technologies related to such circumstances are known (e.g., see Patent Document 2).
For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a server which applies access restriction to a device of each member whose level has been set by a level setting unit, so as to disclose data corresponding to the set level.
More specifically, for each data item to be disclosed via an SNS, the server assigns a disclosure level to the data so as to perform the access restriction for the members having individual levels. Therefore, in this server, in order to disclose a posted message among only specifically limited members, a high disclosure level is assigned to the message. In contrast, in order to unlimitedly disclose the message, a low disclosure level is assigned to the message. Accordingly, the relevant server can control the access restriction.
Additionally, there is a technique to share information (e.g., album information) within each group.
Various technologies related to such circumstances are known (e.g., see Patent Document 3).
For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a method in which individual terminal apparatuses are registered as one group and a shared album for the group is browsed and edited within the relevant group.
More specifically, each terminal apparatus has a radio communication unit which performs radio communication with any nearby external terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus also has a group identification information generating device that generates group identification information utilized to identify the external terminal apparatus and the own apparatus, which communicate with each other via the radio communication unit, as a group of the terminal apparatuses.
The disclosed terminal apparatus further includes a content data providing device that provides to a plurality of terminal apparatuses identified by the group identification information, content data associated with the group identification information. The terminal apparatus also includes a transmission control device that transmits the group identification information, which is generated by the group identification information generating device, to the content data providing device.
Accordingly, the disclosed terminal apparatus can group a plurality of terminal apparatuses by a simple operation while enhancing the security thereof, where content data can be shared among the grouped terminal apparatuses.
Furthermore, there is a technique to modify a content sharing method within a social network.
Various technologies related to such circumstances are known (e.g., see Patent Document 4).
For example, Patent Document 4 discloses a social network service that can modify a method of sharing contents within a social network so as to include a designated privacy setting in the contents.
More specifically, in the social network service, each user apparatus includes any device that enables interchange among the relevant user and other users of the social network service.
The user apparatus performs data communication via a web server. In addition, the user apparatus can request a web page that includes contents and is transmitted from the web server.
Additionally, the user can post content to the social network service via the user apparatus by uploading the content while accessing the relevant web page. A user profile storage unit communicates with the web server so that each user of the social network service can access a user profile object. According to the user profile object, each user of the social network service can access grouped data that can be used to automatically generate a group of communicating members.
According to the above social network service, accessibility of each uploaded content posted by the user can be handled by utilizing the privacy setting. Therefore, a large flexibility can be applied to determination to permit someone to view the relevant content.